Who Should I Start? Jameson Williams or Cameron Ward

Friday, September 5, 5:04 PM

Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams finished the 2024 regular season on a tear, recording 34 catches for 463 yards and three touchdowns over his final seven games. Reporting out of Lions' training camp this summer has indicated that the team is looking to involve Williams in the offense even more in 2025, and that new play-caller John Morton wants to push the ball downfield at a higher rate. That may be difficult to do in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, who feature one of the league's most fearsome pass rushes on paper. Williams did not play in Week 9 against the Packers last season, but he led all Lions in targets (eight) in the Week 14 matchup between the two teams and hauled in five catches for 80 yards. He profiles as a boom/bust WR3/flex option for fantasy managers in Week 1, but his target volume on Sunday could be informative of how the team plans to incorporate him going forward.

Saturday, September 6, 9:04 AM

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cameron Ward opens his NFL career on the road against the Denver Broncos in Week 1. This matchup would have an unfavorable outlook for any quarterback, and that's especially true with a rookie who has not yet played a regular-season snap. While Ward did show that he can handle tough matchups in college, a Broncos defense led by Patrick Surtain II and Nik Bonitto is a whole different beast. Fantasy managers should expect that Denver will implement a game plan intended to rattle Ward early. Whether that game plan is effective remains to be seen, but with such a difficult matchup waiting for him, Ward can be left on the bench in most fantasy leagues this week.